<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Deep sea baby by smallblip</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28429827">Deep sea baby</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallblip/pseuds/smallblip'>smallblip</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Universe, Character's Name Spelled as Hanji, F/M, Fluff, Pirates, Reincarnation, Romance, also, and, multiple sea-related aus, there’s no dying in this fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:48:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,551</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28429827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallblip/pseuds/smallblip</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hanji is born of white foam, where the heavens collide with the sea, and Levi loves her with a fierceness that would make the tides jealous. Levi knows little of poetics, but Hanji promises to find him in the next life and the ones after. </p><p>And sure as the waves crashing into shore, she does.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi &amp; Hange Zoë, Levi/Hange Zoë</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Deep sea baby</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Levihan Secret Santa gift for hanji-zoe103💖 </p><p>I had a few ideas for what I wanted to write as your gift, but I couldn't commit to just one, I think I just had fun imagining all these AUs and these meet cutes and I decided to just go for it. I do hope to expand on the AUs in the future! Nevertheless, I hope you like it💖</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Hanji is the sea. Uncompromising, untamable, painfully beautiful. Levi thinks she’s poetry in motion, the way she dances, barefoot across sandy beaches, the way she walks down towards the place where the sea meets land, unafraid amidst white waters. </p><p>He sits, like the shores, and watches her. Watches her bend towards the ground, hands dipping beneath foam, searching for shells. She holds them up against the sun to inspect them when she finds them. <em>Treasure</em>, she calls them. </p><p>When she’s waist deep in salt water she turns back to look at him. </p><p>“Come on Levi! The water is warm!” </p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>Hanji is born of white foam, where the heavens collide with the sea.</p><p>And Levi is the most beautiful boy to have walked the earth, so beautiful he puts the gods to shame. And Hanji fears whatever love they have will be short-lived, because he loves her with a fierceness that would make the tides jealous. </p><p>It’s a long way from heaven, but Hanji comes to see him every day. She sits with him in a clearing in the forest while he works and he’s sceptical at first. Nothing good comes from associating with the old gods. But the hem of her dress is caked in mud, there’s earth under her nails, and she swears exactly like a sailor would. He teaches her to climb trees and she names all the sheep in his flock. </p><p>“Maybe it would be nice to stay here forever...” she says to him one day, and Levi understands the gravity of what she’s suggesting. The heavens would not allow for it. They would cut her up piece by piece and she would be returned to the sea. </p><p>But there’s a conviction in Hanji’s eyes, a severity that justifies the cult of mortals at her feet. The same determination that Hanji has when she’s pulling splinters from her fingers, when she picks wildflowers for Levi, when she holds him against her chest and challenges the gods. She balls her fists and curses the greys of the skies, yet she dances in the rain, giggling, pulling Levi to join her. He surprises himself when he relents.</p><p>So Levi tells her she has his heart. </p><p>Each night he holds her close, and each night she falls into a deep slumber and she dreams of running barefoot through a field of white roses to reach him. She pierces her foot on a thorn and the field is stained red. A field of red roses. Each one blooming and dying at Levi’s feet. </p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>In a kinder life, they are childhood friends in a sleepy seaside town. Levi has a popsicle in his mouth, the last of it melting on his tongue. Hanji has long finished hers, and her fingers are sticky from the syrup. But it doesn’t matter because Levi is burying her in the sand so she can keep her filth to herself. He contemplates covering her mouth with sand too, but they’re going to turn thirteen soon and he’s tired of pretending that her talking annoys him. </p><p>“When I’m older I’m going to sail all over the world!” Hanji grins. Levi thinks it’s funny that now she’s just a talking head in the sand.</p><p>But his heart sinks a little. He doesn’t know if his future is on a vessel bound to nowhere. But they’re still young and their plans have little structure and bearing, so for now Levi pretends he’s going to be there with her, sailing across the ocean.</p><p>“Did you know it’s a myth that lobsters mate for life?” Hanji says, absentminded, part of her trying to distract from the heat, and another part of her already thinking about that ice cream they have waiting for them in her freezer. “Sad huh... Who knew you can’t trust everything on TV...” she laughs. </p><p>“Seahorses mate for life...” Levi says. He tries to stay nonchalant, but he’s a little embarrassed he spends his free time googling facts he thinks Hanji would enjoy.</p><p>And Hanji knows. Of course she does. She has known him her whole life. In this life and the next he is her Levi. Her Levi with an endless capacity for kindness. She smiles. </p><p>“Seahorses huh...”</p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>They meet on a ship sailing through uncharted waters. Levi joins the Royal Navy when it feels like he’s exhausted all other options. There's a hunger for power that guides their ship to foreign lands.</p><p>It’s the middle of the night when hears shouting. He jolts awake and already the rest of the crew are reaching for their weapons. There’s no time to change out of their night clothes. The ship spirals into a frenzy. He spots the warning of black sails and white crossbones from afar. The ship is gaining on them. It’s clear they have to stand their ground and fight. </p><p>The pirates board their ship, and there’s a wild clash of knives and swords and the smell of blood in the air mixing with the metallic taste of gold and bronze and silvers. Levi lunges but his sword is halted midair by a cutlass. </p><p>“Not so fast Officer...” the pirate says. Past the eyepatch and greasy hair he sees her- he feels her. There’s a white rush by his ears calling for him to come home. </p><p><em>I found you,</em> she whispers in his ear as she brings him aboard her ship. </p><p>The sea promises gold and riches beyond imagination, and Levi promises to follow her to the ends of the earth. </p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>Levi works in his uncle's bakery a small town in the middle of godforsaken nowhere. It's a family business, and they've been getting good reviews from travel blogs online looking for spots off the beaten path. </p><p>Levi is on a date to the aquarium and Kenny yells a "don't come back tonight if you know what's good for you!<em>" </em>after him. There are still customers in the bakery and everyone is staring at him. The teenagers in the corner snigger. </p><p>His date doesn't show, but he's not surprised really. The first date had gone by in a way that could be considered painless. But beyond nice pleasantries, there’s nothing much to look forward to. So Levi completely understands. Then again she could’ve at least had the courtesy to drop him a text. In any case, Kenny will be disappointed. He enters the aquarium anyway. Might as well. He had already purchased the tickets, and he hasn’t been since he was a child in elementary school. He watches the sharks swim laps behind the thick glass. He wonders if they feel unfulfilled, living in a tank, watching as people from all around take family trips to visit the aquarium. </p><p>“That one’s Bean!” Levi switches his attention from a particularly small shark to the person beside him. </p><p>“What?” He replies.</p><p>“That one!” She points to the shark making its way past them, “she’s Bean. We rescued her from a fishing net.” </p><p>Levi watches her grin with suspicion. Maybe he should introduce himself. He's not usually one to introduce himself to strangers with wild hair and gleaming eyes behind thick glasses, but there's a first for everything, and before he knows it, he's telling her his name.</p><p>"Date stood you up?" she says, and Levi glares at her. "Oh... Wait... That really happened?" she apologises, and the stranger with the wild hair and gleaming eyes becomes Hanji. There’s something about the lights in the aquarium, the blues and violets that reflect off the auburn in her eyes in a way that’s almost ethereal. </p><p>The things that conspire after are tricks of the light then, surely. Hanji invites him back to her apartment, and they talk and polish off a six pack of beers and a few bottles of cheap wine between the two of them. "This is fun! I haven't gotten shipfaced in a while!" Hanji chuckles. </p><p>“No.” Levi says, he has little tolerance for bad nautical puns. But it only encourages Hanji to tell him more. There's a mix of "where ya fin all my life" and "you're whaley cute", and finally, when she's absolutely smashed, a "nice boat, wanna fuck?" </p><p>At that, the dams break and Levi laughs. </p><p>Hanji wakes up the next morning, killer headache, she shoots up and the headache splits her skull open. Too quick. </p><p>“Ouch...” she says, eyes blinking through sleep and haze. She grabs at the bottle of water by her bedside and shuffles through her drawer for ibuprofen. </p><p>“You idiot...” </p><p>Hanji snaps her head up, looking for the owner of the voice and there Levi is, leaning against her door, hands folded across his chest. Hanji’s jaw slackens. </p><p>“In case you were wondering, no, nothing happened...” </p><p>“But... but you’re here... in... in my room...” </p><p>“Tch...” Levi rolls his eyes, “you passed out and I stayed just in case you choked on your own vomit and died in the middle of the night...” </p><p>
  <em>Oh...</em>
</p><p>“Wait did I?” </p><p>Levi raises a brow, she’s still not all there. “Still alive aren’t you?” </p><p>Hanji shrugs. This could be hell for all she knows. “Fast acting pain relief” proving to be the biggest scam of the century. </p><p>"What a fucking shipwreck of a person..." Levi says and it takes Hanji a minute before she's doubled over in laughter, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. </p><p>Levi half expects to never see her ever again, but there she is the day after, as promised, finger pressed to the glass, ordering herself a Pain au Chocolat, an Americano, and his number on a piece of napkin. He sighs, but he's writing it down for her anyway.</p><p>"You really followed me home that night huh... Didn't it cross your mind that I could be a serial killer?" She says, examining his handiwork. </p><p>Levi scoffs, "you invited a complete stranger you picked up at the aquarium into your house, and then proceeded to get very wasted... Didn't it cross your mind that <em>I</em> could have been the serial killer?"</p><p>Hanji laughs, and it startles her when it echoes throughout the bakery, "touché..." she says, "guess I am a shipwreck of a person..." she winks.</p><p>The corners of Levi's lips betray a smile as he watches her take a seat by the window to read. </p><p>"That's not Petra..." Kenny comments. </p><p>"Who said I went home with Petra?" Levi answers.</p><p>Kenny's face pulls into a smirk and he lets loose a deep rumble of laughter, “Levi you absolute dog!”</p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>The sea is a passage. To a new life that Hanji can only pray will be fulfilling. She is the princess of a port kingdom- a people favoured by the sun and raised by the sea. </p><p>Her ships carry her to a distant land of frigid waters and snowfall, where her betrothed is king. When she sets foot on land, she's greeted by faces paler than hers and a mannerism befitting the heartiness of Northern kingdoms. There are skins being made into pelt, fish hanging out to dry, wines made from preserved fruit. Already, Hanji misses the white sandy beaches and the heat of the midday sun, but she's to be queen now, and she remembers this when she walks past the heavy doors into the throne room. She comes bearing gifts of glass beads, fine porcelain, and dried fruit and nuts- a reminder of Summer. </p><p>She takes her place beside her husband, and she smiles at the people who have come to see her- the princess from the other side of the sea. They are her people now. </p><p>And that's when she sees him.</p><p>His expression doesn't change even when he kneels in front of her and kisses the back of her hand. He vows to protect her. </p><p>She calls for him later, and he tells her to call him Levi- he has never been too keen on formalities. Besides, <em>Sir</em> Levi doesn’t suit him quite as much. And she's Hanji, <em>just</em> Hanji. </p><p>It's Winter when they take a ride through the forest. She's not used to the heavy furs and wools and Levi has to remind her that the sun doesn't shine the same here. But Hanji knows. Her golden skin now mellowing. She hikes her dress above her knees and toes through the snow. The ground caves beneath her feet like powdered sugar, and Hanji thinks maybe there's beauty in her new home. She thinks maybe there's warmth to be found, as Levi catches her before she slips. </p><p>He shows her the lake, now frozen over, and they slide over thick ice like children. She pulls him down with her when she falls and they laugh. There's something in his eyes that Hanji recognises as fear. She feels it in the beat of her own heart, warning her against falling. But they’ve been treading on thin ice around one another, and falling seems inevitable.</p><p>So Levi presses back against her and kisses her. Hanji feels a warmth coursing through her- the same fire she's promised in the lullabies her mother used to sing her. </p><p>"We should come in Spring. The lake is beautiful then..." Levi says as they make their way back to the castle. And Hanji promises to show him her home. The crystal waters; gentle waters. She knows it's a promise that may never be fulfilled, but nevertheless, this is a moment in time, and promises offer a glimpse into possibility. </p><p>Come Spring, they make love by the lake, under the cover of the sea of trees. Everything is beautiful in the Spring. </p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>In another life, the sea promises protection. </p><p>There’s only one rule out at sea near the white rocks-</p><p>
  <em>Beware the Siren’s song.</em>
</p><p>Levi lives in a little house by the sea. Everyday he sails out near the white rocks to catch fish. </p><p>Hanji circles his boat. Her iridescent tail catching the light and reflecting deep purples and green. She sings her best song for him- the beautiful fisherman with the grey eyes. </p><p>"Don’t swim into the nets," he scolds and Hanji is taken aback. She thinks about her beautiful fisherman when he sails for home. And there's a familiar tugging that she feels in her gut. But the weather has taken a turn for the worse and she doesn’t see him near the white rocks. Not the next day nor the days after. She seeks the council of the waters and the waves carry her to shore. </p><p>There’s a storm raging. The windows are rattling against their frames. Lightning illuminates the skeletons of his house and there’s a persistent knocking that weaves in and out of the thunder. Levi takes the screaming kettle off the hobs. </p><p>He opens the door to her. She’s standing in the rain, hands wrapping around herself to shield from the cold. Levi’s gaze skims from the tip of her nose down to her bare chest, down to her long legs. He swallows thickly. She’s leaning against the frame of the door, shifting her weight from one unstable leg to another. Like a fawn learning to walk. He frowns but nevertheless, he leaves the door ajar for her to enter.</p><p>“You’re gonna get the floors all wet...” he mutters. Rainwater he can manage. But seawater makes the floorboards a little sticky, and that annoys him deeply.</p><p>“I told you I’ll come for you.” She says. </p><p>Levi shoves a towel in her face, “Dry yourself.” He pauses for a moment, taking in the shock on her face. “Please.” </p><p>Surprisingly, she does as she’s told, and when she’s done, she hands the towel back to him. </p><p>Levi finds her dry clothes, and she pinches and pulls at them, inspecting after she puts them on. </p><p>“I’m here to eat your heart lover boy.” </p><p>He considers her. It’s colder this time of year and the sea is relentless. But her skin is gold like honey, sun-kissed in a way that reminds Levi of summers and homemade jam and the grass beneath his feet. </p><p>“Levi.” He replies.</p><p><em>Levi.</em> she says, smile spreading across her face like butter on warm toast. </p><p>He shares his stew with her and she tells him her name is Hanji when her hands are warming by the fire. She looks at Levi, gaze washing over him like a wave. And there’s familiarity in the way his eyes soften when he looks at her. He looks at her like he's trying to call forth a string of memories tying her to him; him to her. But all he has is an affection for her that ripples through his consciousness. It's accompanied by the sounds of laughter- her laughter- and the pale shimmer of moonlight.  </p><p>So she returns to him the next day, and the day after, and the days after that. </p><p>Hanji brings him little pieces of treasure. A conch shell, a dead sand dollar, bits of sea glass. Her legs grow stronger each time. She dances around his house. She pulls him flush against her chest and rests her chin atop his head and sways to a tune she’s humming. </p><p><em>Beware the Siren’s song,</em> they say. </p><p>But they’re far from the white rocks and she’s laughing exactly like a lover would. The floorboards are creaking under their toes.</p><p>He looks for her when he’s out at sea, and listens as she tells him stories of the depths, about the men who hurt her, about dying at sea, and about the promise of protection and rebirth.  </p><p>When she wakes again, there's water in her lungs and she learns to breathe. To call the sea her home. </p><p>But maybe it's not by accident that she falls asleep in his arms one night, cocooned in white sheets that remind her of sea foam. </p><p>She kisses his nose in the morning and he blinks an eye open to look at her. “I’m gonna eat your heart lover boy...” Hanji teases, breath tickling his skin, the sight of him crossing the boundary between sleep and daybreak takes her breath away. </p><p>Levi smiles, pulling her closer, "stop moving so much..." he groans. It’s still early, they can still afford a little shut eye. He cradles her in his arms- a promise of protection. “You already have my heart,” comes his reply, in a moment of tenderness, and Hanji doesn't return to the waters. </p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>In others, the sea forces distance between them. </p><p>They don't meet in this life.</p><p>But sure as waves reaching towards the shore, they meet in the one after.</p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>They're in their second year of college but nothing really changes. </p><p>Except when it does, it happens so fast that Levi doesn't have time to breathe. The next time he takes a breath he's lying beside Hanji. They’re both sated and sleepy and Levi stills his breathing, coming down from his high. And Hanji thinks this life is nice. It's effortless in a way that reminds her that they are meant to be.</p><p>The Marine Biologists have gathered for a nights out- a pub crawl to be specific. The entire course is decked in ridiculous outfits. There’s a merman somewhere, and a manatee, there’s even a sea snake (moray eel, Hanji clarifies). And Hanji is dressed as a shark. </p><p>Levi is there because he gets dragged along to everything that Hanji is a part of and he gets asked one too many times what his outfit is supposed to be. Because he’s in his jeans and a black top and he just looks- normal? </p><p>“He’s my next meal!” Hanji says and Levi pulls a face, he chokes out a, “shitty four eyes...” and he’s blushing a little more than he should because <em>does she even hear herself?</em></p><p>Halfway through the night Levi wonders why he’s so tipsy. This is really unlike him. He remembers meeting Hanji’s friend Moblit, whose Aquaman sends Hanji over the edge with laughter. He remembers hearing a round of “oh hey Levi!” (They all know who he is, after all, he’s often hanging around Hanji). Then the beer bong challenge. Oh right. <em>The beer bong challenge...</em> that’s why. Hanji won, at least he remembers that. </p><p>And he also remembers dancing with Hanji at the back of one of the pubs. “This is a good song...” he murmurs in her ear and she visibly shivers. But everything is spinning and the music is delicious, touching is also delicious, and they do just that. And at some point Levi must have just gone for it, because Hanji’s mouth is hot and inviting and Levi thinks he’s delirious so he surrenders to the feeling. </p><p>They’re back in Hanji’s room, only because it’s only a flight of stairs up and Levi is unzipping her ridiculous costume that surprising does little to ease his raging hard on. And Hanji, god forbid, isn’t wearing anything underneath. </p><p>His top comes off once they make it past the main door to her flat. Levi doesn’t even notice the mess in Hanji’s room as they navigate the narrow space and soon they're on the bed, hands moving in what is best described as a frenzy. </p><p>It feels so good and Levi finally admits to himself that he has been thinking about this for a while. And he’s almost relieved when Hanji kisses him and lets her want slide down his throat. </p><p>Levi wonders if they can still be considered friends. Last he’s checked friends don’t scream each other’s names the way Hanji is saying his name right now as she bites down on his shoulder. Plus, the whole best friends to lovers trope is just one big cliché. And yet, Levi doesn’t hate it. He has to admit it’s actually really nice. </p><p>The next morning Hanji finds Levi rummaging through her sink cupboard. </p><p>“My extra toothbrushes are the drawer.” She gestures towards the bottom drawer with her toe. They brush their teeth and they're sitting on the bed again, it's the only place for two to sit, really. </p><p>“So... Was it good for you?” Hanji says, a little amused with how the entire situation unfolded.</p><p>Levi clears his throat, face going red. “Would’ve been better if you weren’t wearing that stupid outfit...” He wants to say he's never felt this way with anyone before, but he doesn't. </p><p>“But hammerheads are cool!” Hanji protests and she’s pouting. Levi wonders if now’s a good time to kiss that stupid look off her face or if that’s too much.</p><p>“Fucking one isn’t...” Levi mutters. Hanji throws her head back and laughs. </p><p>“So... What do we do now?” Levi asks. And Hanji shrugs saying a "admit we love each other and carry on with our lives?" like it had been obvious. </p><p>"Sounds good..." he says, smiling, and he thinks they deserve this effortlessness. </p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>Hanji comes back to him like ship returning to port. She thinks about meeting him when he's six and building sandcastles on the beach. He had ignored her attempt at conversation and Hanji had been a little annoyed.</p><p>"You don't remember me do you?" She huffed, pout on her face, arms crossed. </p><p>Levi was confused, that definitely caught his attention, "do we know each other?" he asked. </p><p>"No," Hanji confessed, "no but... I know I'm supposed to meet you." She said with all the confidence a five year old can muster. Levi bickered with her. How can a five year old be so smug? He was a whole year older and he was by no means as confident. He didn't even know whether to pick sushi or pizza for lunch. </p><p>And she thinks about the night before she left. </p><p>"I like you Levi..." she had said. She willed herself not to cry, so there's a moment in which she's just chuckling humourlessly to herself. And Levi's scowls at her. "Inconvenient huh..." she added. She had to cross the ocean the next day on a voyage bound somewhere far away and this makes it that much harder.  </p><p>
  <em>Fucking inconvenient indeed...</em>
</p><p>They don't make promises, but Hanji wishes they had. She wishes they would have at least addressed her little confession, because it's been <em>eight years</em>. Eight years of it gnawing at her brain and now it's just a little awkward. </p><p>Hanji takes a deep breath as she disembarks at port, her feet a little unsteady on dry land- like a fawn learning to walk again. But she sees him. And the knot in her chest unravels. <em>Eight years.</em> It's been too long. She takes tentative steps towards him, but soon she's running and enveloping him in a sweaty embrace. </p><p>He's whispering something, muffled because he's pressed into Hanji's clavicle-</p><p>“Did you know seahorses mate for life?” </p><p>She smiles. Sure as the sun, he’s in her arms again. </p><p>
  <em>Seahorses huh...</em>
</p><p> </p><p>≋</p><p> </p><p>Hanji knows whatever life they've led, this is her favourite. </p><p>The one in which her and Levi see the sea for the first time together. </p><p>The one in which she’s the Commander, and him, her Captain. And between them, a river of words left unsaid threatening to break the banks. </p><p>One day they must cross the ocean, but today they visit the shores again, without the kids this time. And Levi learns why when he watches her peel at her clothes. Her harness comes off first, then her blouse, then everything else, like a little dance for an audience of one. Levi tries not to stare, but he’s already seen her by candlelight in the dead of the night. And yet she never fails to take his breath away. </p><p>She makes her way to where the white foams dredge the past up the shores of the present. </p><p>"Come on Levi! The water is warm!" she says, and he hears it like a call to come home- where the heavens collide with the sea. </p><p>He takes off his clothes and folds them in a neat pile beside Hanji's mess. He swims out to join her.</p><p>The moonlight caresses her skin and this scene- this moment- is opulent. Levi unties the patch over her eye and lets the waters carry it away. She chuckles. "I'm never going to get that back am I?" she says, holding his hand and guiding him to shallower waters. </p><p>And Levi knows there's some poetry to the way she's kissing him. She tastes like saltwater and Summer all at once, and Levi thinks that he has never felt this way with anyone else. Will never feel this way about anyone else. Instead he glowers at her-</p><p>“Hanji don’t you dare fucking die... I’ll never forgive you if you do... I swear I’ll-“ </p><p>Before Levi can continue, Hanji is laughing, sputtering as her head bobs below the surface of the water. </p><p>“Even if I do, you don’t have to say goodbye. I promise I’ll look for you in the next life... <em>And</em> the ones after...” She says, brushing the pad of her finger against his nose. The heavens and the sea bear witness. And Levi promises to follow her to the ends of the earth. </p><p><em>Treasure,</em> he calls her, when the sound of white water crashing provide refuge for words that have little place in this life. Levi knows little of the words lovers say to each other, and even less of poetics, yet here he is with Hanji, sitting on the shores now, and watching salt crystal in her hair. He falls asleep that night to the sound of her breathing. And amidst dreams of roses and white foam,</p><p>Levi is home. </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There's a reference to Rest in Peace, Paradise in this one! </p><p>Also... Ooof... It's been a hot minute since I posted! Happy New Year everyone💖 Thanks for being one of the beautiful parts of dismal 2020 💖</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>